Man Utd told they can sign French international for £53.5m

Manchester United could be in the market for another centre-back over the summer.

Last summer’s big signing Victor Lindelof has not been able to hold down a regular spot in the first team after a terrible start to his career at Old Trafford, whilst Chris Smalling and Phil Jones have been regulars this season, when Jose Mourinho has seemingly not wanted that to be the long-term situation.

Now, according to a report from Spanish outlet Diaria Gol, Real Madrid have told Manchester United that we can sign Raphael Varane for €60 million (£53.5m) over the summer.

Jose Mourinho has been linked with a move for the 24-year-old previously, who is considered to be one of the top centre-backs in the world.  However, he’s still unable to hold down a regular first-team place in the Real Madrid squad.  Sergio Ramos and Nacho were the starting centre-back pairing during their 3-1 win over Getafe on Saturday.

It was Jose who brought Varane to the Spanish giants back in 2011, for a fee believed to be in the region of £8.9 million, and his stock has only risen considerably then.

Raphael Varane is both quick and strong, and put in a man of the match performance in his first El Clasico.  He is now a regular in Didier Deschamps’ French national team.

If this report is true, Varane would be an excellent acquisition for us and long-term partner for Eric Bailly at the back.  And for £53.5 million it’s not that expensive in today’s market.